This invention pertains to toilet fixtures and their supporting structure, and is especially well-adapted for use on marine vehicles, such as yachts and other such pleasure craft.
A typical toilet fixture has a bowl mounted upon a floor by a pedestal, the pedestal having a base portion attached to the floor, and a stem portion connecting the base and bowl. When the fixture is used, unevenly distributed weight on the bowl causes bending moments all along the stem, placing stress on the stem and the bolts connecting the stem to the base. When exacerbated by rough seas, these bending moments can damage the bolts.
Moreover, typical marine toilets have exposed plumbing immediately adjacent the base and lower stem portions of the pedestal. This plumbing obstructs access to areas about the base and lower stem, making it very difficult to clean exposed areas of the base. This exposed plumbing usually contains one or more valves to control the amount and velocity of water used to flush. Because these valves are so exposed, careless users can easily bump into, or tamper with them, causing unwanted readjustment of the valves, resulting in the toilet bowl overflowing.